Beneath the surface of a seemingly
friendly and productive Irish city lies the grim reality of drug scandals,
assault and murder.

Construction of impressive new
buildings, efforts to preserve scenic places of interest and the creation of new
tourist attractions often conceal the bleak truth about Limerick, Ireland’s
third largest city.

But for many teens living in the city
and its suburbs, Limerick’s dangers cannot be smoothed over so easily –
they’re a part of life.

Limerick

“When I'm on my own [in Limerick] I
feel quite nervous,” said Leah Hughes, 15. “I feel really aware of the fact
that I might be robbed or attacked. When you've lived here as long as I have,
you tend to know what kind of people to be wary of.”

Crime in Limerick city frequently
dominates the news, and around Ireland, the county has gained the unfavorable
nickname “Stab City.”

Despite her fears about Limerick,
Hughes objects to the nickname.

“I don't think [this nickname] is
fair because Limerick isn't the only place where people get stabbed,” said
Hughes. “Also, many people don't look at all the facts before giving the city
a very general nickname.”

So how did the county get such a bleak
epithet and reputation?

“I think that the cause for
Limerick's reputation is many years of crime and toughness."
said Suzi Newman, 13, who has lived on the
outskirts of Limerick city all her life. "If you read Angela's
Ashes, you can sense a trace of modern Limerick. People in the city are just
rough and raw, and some of them act like their parents never taught them
anything. I believe that these people are totally to blame for what Limerick has
become.”

Newman isn’t alone.

Teenagers are exposed more than anyone
to Limerick's cruelties and many have strong views about their city. Some feel
afraid to be alone there.

Too many Limerick teenagers drop out of
school, go off the rails and become involved with smoking, drinking and drugs at
a young age.

“There is a lot of opportunity in
Limerick to smoke and drink,” said Laurie Guinane, 15. “Sometimes in the
city you get offered drugs and cigarettes, so they are easy for teens to get our
hands on. A major problem is teenagers dropping out of school. This happens so
often once teens reach the legal age of 16, and sometimes even before.”

The result, according to some teens, is
that walking on the streets of Limerick can be frightening, especially if they
happen to come upon some of the city’s youth. Avoiding eye contact is crucial
in those situations in order to avoid a confrontation..

“Teenagers in Limerick can be scary
and tough,” said Guinane. “Sometimes, if you even look at another girl your
age, she will threaten you or shout abuse at you. It's tough when our entire age
group is branded as arrogant and selfish, when it's really only that handful.”

Some say the problems in Limerick are
centered around the city, and that the county area has nothing to do with any of
these issues.

“It's mainly the city that's very
bad,” said Hughes. “But some areas that were once very respectable are
becoming dangerous, too. The urban lifestyle is spreading to all areas of the
county.”

Cops on the streets of Limerick also
have concerns.

“Security is much tighter and there
is more patrol around the city than the country and county areas,” said
Limerick Garda Garry Browne, a city police officer.

According to Browne, police work in
Limerick is tougher than in other parts of Ireland.

“I fear for my own safety as a garda
when I'm caught in the middle of a fight with an armed drunken person,” Browne
said. “House break-ins are most common in the city. There are more problems in
Limerick [than in the rest of the country]. There are more murders that are
harder to solve, and we have to do harder work that is more dangerous.”

Some people argue that crime in
Limerick is over-emphasized by the media.

“Often, they make a bigger deal of a
robbery in Limerick than in a quiet county like Mayo or Leitrim,” said Hughes.
“On the other hand, there is more crime in Limerick than in other counties, so
maybe they're just telling it like it is.”

Guinane’s mother,Deborah
Guinane, has lived in the center of Limerick for more than 30 years. According
to her, the look of the city has improved, but the problems are worse.

“It was the same as growing up
anywhere else, I think. It has become more dangerous in recent years, although I
must say it looks a lot prettier and more respectable,” Deborah Guinane said.
“Going into the city is putting your life in your hands. There is a major
danger element.”

Apart from the troubles with teenage
crime, Limerick has a huge problem dealing with a feud between two tough,
powerful families with grudges against each other so deep they will do nearly
anything to eliminate one another. This dark and underlying, Mafia-type world of
drugs and hate often leads to shootings, stabbings and killings.

Though the feuding has lessened in
recent years, some people remain worried.

Newman said the feuds “are pretty
pointless. It's just people fighting and getting killed for stupid reasons. The
police need to do something about it. It's annoying because everyone in Limerick
knows the things that are happening. We know the places it happens and the names
of the families. But still nothing is being done about it.”

Deborah Guinane said the family feuds
"are one of the
major problems in Limerick. They've been going on
for years, though they weren't as prominent in the news as when I was growing
up. I think they are a major factor in the city's downfall.”

Some of Limerick’s 175,000 residents
don’t think the problems in their town will ever be resolved. Hughes, who is
one of them, is ready to leave her hometown for a better life.

“People aren't going to change
now,” Hughes said. “It's been this way here for years. I can't wait to move,
though. I don't want to be sucked into that lifestyle. I don't want my children
to be like so many people here, and I don't want to spend my life in the grotty
Limerick streets. I want to get out of here!”

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